Rotator Cuff Repair
The rotator cuff is made up of a group of 4 muscles, with their tendons, which surround the head of the humerus. Its function is to hold firmly the top part of the arm inside the deep shoulder cavity, keeping it stable when moving in different directions.
Rotator cuff injuries are common, and they are caused mostly due to chronic wear resulting from repetitive movements, trauma or age-related tissue degeneration. Fibers become damaged and injuries appear, causing stiffness, instability and pain.
This pathology is more frequent in older patients or contact sports athletes.
Symptoms
Rotator cuff injuries present as a sharp pain or stiffness in the shoulder which prevents movement. The patient may feel pain in activities like:
- Laying on the injured shoulder.
- Lifting the arm or lowering it to the front or the side.
- Stretching your arm behind the back.
Other symptoms that may arise due to a rotator cuff tear are:
- Loss of arm strength.
- Cracking sounds when moving the arm.
Treatment
Many people recover by means of physical therapy exercises that improve the flexibility and strength of the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint.
Some tears may require a surgical procedure. Injuries may be acute or chronic. Repair surgery is usually an outpatient procedure, performed through arthroscopy or a minimally invasive method.
Learn more about Fergus’ rotator cuff repair solutions:
SpinFit PK, Knotix PK and Knotix Ti.
Shoulder Instability Treatment
- Tearing of the labrum and the glenohumeral ligaments of the scapula, also known as Bankart lesion
- Lengthening of shoulder ligaments due to forced stretching, causing laxity
- Significant fracture of the edge of the glenoid cavity
Symptoms
Patients notice shoulder pain when adopting certain positions. On occasion, they mention a popping sound and the feeling that the joint comes out of its socket. The shoulder becomes unstable in several directions: anterior, inferior and/or posterior. Some patients may also have very lax stabilizer tissue due to congenital conditions.Treatment
Injured patients will require rehabilitation to strengthen the rotator muscles of the shoulder as well as the periscapular muscles. If the rehabilitation treatment has not yielded the desired results, the patient will be advised to undergo surgical instability repair, either arthroscopically or by means of conventional open surgery. Learn more about Fergus’ products for shoulder instability repair: QuickFit PK, SpinFit PK, Knotix PK and Knotix Ti.
Biceps Tenodesis
The humeral biceps is the main muscle in the arm, and it has two insertions: distal and proximal. On the proximal side, it comprises a tendon with two ends, the short head and the long head. The latter traverses the top of the head of the humeral head and compresses it against the glenoid capsule, giving stability to the joint.
This structure may become damaged due to trauma, overload or repetitive movements, causing pain or strength loss. When it does, the muscle is compressed and creates a bulge called “Popeye’s arm”.
Several procedures can be used to address this situation. One of them is tenodesis, the implantation of a tendon into a bone, either in the place where it detached from or in a different place from the original one. Biceps tenodesis may be done arthroscopically using a tendon fixation system in different areas of the humerus.
Cases where biceps tenodesis could be used:
- Pre-ruptured tendons
- Dislocation or subluxation of the biceps tendon from the humeral groove
- Intraarticular entrapment due to hypertrophy of the long biceps head for preserved tendons of the rotator cuff
- Biceps tenodesis may involve arthroscopic repair of the rotator cuff or may be done together with a debridement of a non-reparable rotator cuff.
Symptoms
Patients will mainly feel acute pain in the shoulder area and loss of functionality.
Treatment
The recommendation is to perform a surgical intervention for a tendon to bone implantation, since there are no preventive treatments that can improve the quality of life of the patient.
Learn more about Fergus’ products for tendon repositioning and reattachment: SpinFit PK Tenodesis.